Manchester United mean business this summer. Last week, the former Premier League champions spent almost £60m on the signings of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw from Athletic Bilbao and Southampton respectively. That amount is more than double the fee they paid Everton for Marouane Fellaini last year, a player bought just before the transfer window slammed shut.

It appears as though United’s quest to outspend every team in England’s top tier will continue well into this summer amid reports they are keen on bolstering their midfield with Arturo Vidal. The 26-year-old, who was part of the Chile side that crashed out of the World Cup on Saturday, has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford as the Red Devils look to further strengthen.

Vidal is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in the game at present, so snaring him from the grasp of Juventus would be a real sign of intent from United. His WhoScored.com rating in Serie A (7.43) ranked among the top 10 in Italy’s first tier last season, and more importantly, is better than every midfielder at Louis van Gaal’s disposal. Phil Jones (7.26) - a defender by trade – is the United player who came closest to matching that.

The Chilean directly contributed to 16 of Juventus’ 80 league goals (11 goals and five assists) in 2013/14, a fine return for a player who, while dubbed a box-to-box midfielder, would likely start in a much deeper position for United. If the fact that Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones scored three league goals between them last term is taken into account, then the interest in Vidal becomes apparent.

Should United convince Juventus to part ways with ‘The Warrior’, it’s likely Ander Herrera would partner him in midfield, where the duo would compliment one another wonderfully. Both have the ability to surge forward from the middle, and their insistence on pressing higher up the pitch would squeeze the space available to the opposition, thus forcing them into errors in key areas.

Vidal may not have had the opportunity to do this for Chile at the World Cup to the same level as he did for his club last season, having come into the tournament carrying a knee injury, but his ability to harass the opposition and win possession is one of his greatest strengths. Only Udinese’s Allan (136) and former Parma man Marco Parolo (131) made more tackles than Vidal (130) in Serie A last season, an impressive return considering Juve’s dominance in Italy.

If United are to return to the summit of England’s top tier following their worst Premier League season since its 1992 inception, the highly-rated powerhouse is exactly the type of player needed to make it happen. United’s midfield were overrun far too easily during David Moyes’ ill-fated spell at the helm, so adding Vidal to the ranks would make a great deal of sense.

The only major concern would be the doubts over his long-term fitness. The knee issue that saw him ruled out of Chile’s 3-1 win over Australia last month may flare up again, and despite being passed fit for the competition after surgery, there is a worry that it could keep him sidelined for some time in the future.

However, if he can overcome his current injury problems and Juventus are prepared to entertain offers, United should certainly go hammer and tong to land Vidal this summer.